There is something about this brew that makes it unique ... perhaps a few things. Good hopping all around with out being completely aggressive. The toasted grain character is real tasty and adds a layer that many bigger beers don't have. Maybe a bit of time is all this beer needed? Great all around. (627 characters)

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The high ABV is still rather pronounced in this aged bottle but acceptable in the flavor. Rich, complex flavor is bitter-sweet, leaning to sweet early on but mildly bitter by the aftertaste. (283 characters)

Served from bottle into a Funky Buddha snifter. Poured a ruby red orange with a one finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, caramel, caramel hop, earth, earth hop, and alcohol. The flavor was of sweet malt, caramel, caramel hop, earth, wood, earthy hop, dark fruit, and subtle sweet alcohol. Overall this was a fairly good brew. The aroma on this one was a little weak for my liking as it took me quite a bit of effort to pick up some of the things in it. The flavor on the otherhand was a little more robust and enjoyable. A really well done brew for their 15th anniversary, hopefully they keep up the good work for another 15 years. (749 characters)

A - Pours a dark copper with a dense ivory head that settles to a wispy haze and moderate ring.S - Big, sweet aromas of caramel, candied apple, toffee, and bready malt with some resinous orange peel and pine hop notes. Definitely smells like an "Imperial ESB".T - Similarly sweet, lots of malty flavors of caramel, baked bread, brown sugar, and toffee with resinous hops that linger on the palate for some time and a solid dose of warming alcohol. Nice, but definitely not a balanced beer, this is all about the extremes.M - medium-full bodied, with a fairly sticky mouthfeel and lowish carbonation.O - Certainly an interesting beer, but not my favorite SweetWater release of late. Still, congrats on 15 years, maybe I'll grab a bottle or two and hold on to them until the next milestone! (838 characters)

3.5 T: The initial flavor is of grassy and citrus hop and that is quickly overtaken by a rather strong alcohol flavor. I'm not getting too much more than that since the alcohol and hop both have a really sharp bite. Maybe a slight peach and toasted malt in the background. The finish is warm and bitter.

3.0 M: Medium-heavy feel with low carbonation.

3.5 O: An interesting beer. Definitely not for the faint of heart. This one packs quite a punch.

---Update....This review is of a bottle that has been cellared for 8 months.

A hazy amber color with a thin line of soapy bubbles and lacing down the glass. There is a very nice sweet roasted grain aroma with some caramel, oak and a touch of hop in the background.

Initial flavor is of sweet toasted grain and caramel. Then there is some cherry fruit and a touch of alcohol. The beer finishes very smooth with a sweet, oak and smoky caramel flavor and a touch of warmth and bitterness from the alcohol.

Full bodied with smooth, low carbonation.

Much better with age. This beer has matured nicely and is much better this time around. (1,321 characters)

Deep copper hue with a twinge of gold, showing off a thick, creamy head of beige froth that hangs determinedly to the walls of the glass, and a sparkling clarity. The appearance certainly hearkens back to this heady brew’s ESB roots.

The nose is full of piney, resinous hop notes, with a touch of earthiness, a slight hint of booze, and a whole boatload of malt character – sweet pan-caramelized brown sugar combines with medium-toasted bread and even a bit of cashew-like nuttiness. All together, the mélange of malt and hops is more than inviting – time to dig in and see what lies underneath.

Up front, the malts lay down a big ol’ base upon which to layer the hops. Sweet caramel-drizzled biscuit is overtaken in the middle by a huge dose of earthy, herbaceous, piney hop character with some grapefruit peel and orange zest; the bitterness is dry and intense, but not overwhelming, as the malt backbone keeps things in check. Toward the back and edges of the palate, the malt picks up momentum again, with rich toffee and bread pudding enveloping the palate before the bitterness kicks back in, finishing with a very dry, toffee-resin character and a bit of light boozy alcohol that all lingers long afterward and screams for a palate cleanser – be it another quaff or something altogether different.

Body is full and heavy, but the mild-to-medium level of carbonation, combined with the fairly high bitterness leaves the brew feeling sprightlier than it really is. Alcohol is, as stated, somewhat present on the palate, and leaves a bit of a slickness in the mouthfeel, but as far as headiness goes – well, this one is really much bigger than it lets on is all I can say. Be aware!

This is one brew that could use some age, no doubt – I’d wager that it could make it at least until the brewery’s 20th birthday, which, at the rate their going, is undoubtedly going to arrive. And I can’t wait to see that party! Cheers to fifteen years of heady beers, SweetWater! (2,108 characters)

T- mild spice flavor, almost like a winter warmer....there's a slight bit of bitterness. I can see why they kind of refer to this as an imperial ESB, because I get a lot of ESB qualities, just cranked up

I just expected a lot more out of this beer. I liked it, but for their 15th anniversary edition. I was hoping for something as good as one of their dank tanks and I was left disappointed. It poured a golden brown but didnt produce a good foam. Just all in all a little disappointed. (282 characters)

A-pours a clear red orange with a small head with a thin layer retaining on top. appears a nice ruby red up to a light.

S-smells of floral hops and malts. smells crisp. a bit weak, but good.

T-very strong. sort of a powerful alcohol/hop bitterness up front, with a sweet maltiness in the middle going back to the same hoppy alcohol bitterness on the finish. Can definitely taste the alcohol in this one.

MF-medium body with a little hoppy coating in the mouth. definitely some carbonation.

O-This is good. If you dont like hops it definitely is not for you. very strong. Needs a bit more malt balance to it. Pretty good throughout but the finish doesn't taste right to me. Love the hops, just think it could use a bit more malt. (783 characters)

It pours a fizzy 1 finger head that fades at a med pace with some decent lacing, with a hazy coppery reddish colored beer.

Nose is essentially an imperial red ale, with tons of reddish malts, slight toasty malts but mostly sweet, caramel and toffee up the wazoo, the red candy that you get from candy apples, etc. Plenty of sweet malts, reddish malts, with a coppery sweet malt, bringing a hint of booze, and some light reddish fruit aromas. Then a bit of earthy bittering hops.

Taste starts with more copper malts, reddish toasty malts, with plenty of sweetness that doesn't overpower. in comes the sweet additions with plenty of caramel, toffee, light nutty flavors, and the candied apple candy again. It gets slightly juicy as well, as the malts really layer upon itself, and a slight warming booze kicks in. Then slight earthy chewy and a bit spicy hops come through, with fair bitterness that doesn't get too strong and keeps the malts forward. As it finishes the hops gets even more spicy and earthy, as well as chewy, with a bit of sweet caramel, toffee, and candy lingering.

Overall a nice beer, nothing too special, but does fairly well. Malts come forward with nice flavors and sweet additions, with hops adding a nice touch without overpowering. Booze is there a bit but drinks much easier than 10%. A nice tasty beer that I wouldn't necessarily make an anniversary beer since its more basic imperial red ale, but still a well done beer. (1,593 characters)